Flushing apparatus



July 3, 1962 v. E. PRATT FLUSHING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1959 6 2 M ,7p6 M 7 .M ,lum man J, hm

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Unit tages The .present invention relates to flushing apparatus and moreparticularly to an apparatus yfor flushing toilet bowls and the like.

The conventional -toilet flushing apparatus employs a vitreous tankadapted to impound or hold a certain quantity of water, for example fouror tive gallons at a ten or eleven inch hydrostatic head, having aninlet adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure and anoutlet connected to a toilet bowl. The conventional Iushing apparatusfurther includes a ball-cock mechanism, eg., a ioating hollow ballcoupled to a valve in the inlet by means of a suitable leveragemechanism to close the inlet to the tank when the liquid therein reachesa predetermined level. The outlet of the tank is normally closed by asuspended ball that drops, or at least is designed to drop, over a seatwhich surrounds the outlet in the base of the tank.

This conventional toilet ushing mechanism is complicated, expensive andrequires many parts which are constantly exposed to the water within thetank. To prevent excessive corrosion of the parts they are generallymade of brass which adds to the manufacturing cost of the conventionalliushing apparatus. However, in many areas the water is very corrosiveeven to brass parts and in such areas conventional ball-cock mechanismsare continually being replaced. Even in other areas Where the water isnot so corrosive to brass parts such apparatus requires constantattention to maintain it in an operative condition. Furthermore, theconventional toilet flushing apparatus is noisy and unreliable. Forexample, the water inlet to the tanks of the conventional ushingapparatus is generally located above the maximum Water level Within thetank so thatr during the entire refilling operation of the tank a loudand undesirable noise is created by the water gushing vfrom the inletand striking the surface of the water within the tank. A disturbingwhistling noise is also created by the gradually decreasing Water iiowthrough the inlet due to the restricting action of the inlet valve asthe oat is raised by the water level during the -relilling operation.These noise signals are rendered more disturbing by the amplifyingaction of many conventional vitreous tanks which are resonant at thefrequencies of the noise signals. Also the floating ball valvefrequently fails-to close the outlet of the tank after the flushingoperation is completed,

permitting water to continually dribble into the toiletA bowl until theoperating handle that is coupled to the ball is jiggled or some moredrastic measure is taken to drop the ball to its seat.

The space required by the conventional vitreous china tank is alsoundesirable, especially in modern homes- Where lthe bathrooms are small.To overcome this disadvantage the tanks for storing the flushing waterhave been placed in the wall between the studs. However, the tanks thathave been lplaced in the wall are merely the standard rectangularvitreous tanks with the same ball-cook mechanisms. While these tanks areout of the Way, they still require constant servicing, a large panel inthe Wall to provide access to the tank, and hold four to ve gallons ofwater with'the conventional ten to eleven inch hydrostatic head. i

It has been discovered that a more adequate flush of a toilet bowl isobtained by delivering two or three gallons of Water to the ybowl from along vertical tank to provide a four or tive foot hydrostatic head thanby ilushing the bowl with twice the amount of water under only Y a tenor eleven inch head.

Other types of less conventional iiushing apparatus have heretofore beenproposed in an attempt to eliminate the ball-cock mechanism and itsinherent shortcomings, but these types of apparatus have not been usedto any great extent for various reasons. See, for example, U.S. PatentsNo. 1,383,273 issued to A. H. Klahn; No. 1,995,358 issued to C. E. Mace,and No. 2,055,271 issued to P. E. Vuagnat.

These proposed flushing devices include a tank having an unrestrictedinlet and an outlet and one or more valve members such as a ball or aplurality of valving discs disposed Within the tank and arranged tobenormally pressed against one or more seats surrounding the outlet by thewater pressure within the tank. A lever mechanism including a handle isprovided for lifting the valve member or members from their seats toinitiate the flushing operation. While these proposed ydevices eliminatethe necessity for the conventional ball-cock mechanism and itsassociated problems Vthey encounter another problem as a result thereof.By providing an unrestricted inlet so that the water pressure Within thetank controls the ow of water through the inlet the" valve member ormembers for closing the Voutlet must be 'lifted against the fullpressure of the source that is connected to the inlet. Where the inletof the tank is connected to a city water main the pressure at the inletwhen the outlet is closed may be of the order of 40 to 50 p.s.i. To moveeven a small valve member against such a high pressure would be amonumental task for the average user of a toilet unless an expensiveleverage mechanism were employed with its inherently long operatingstroke `or some additional source of power were used to open the outlet.

In summary, the previous attempts to produce a `better iiushingapparatus were too complex, impractical or expensive to manufacture and,therefore, could not meet the economical test that competition in thisiield dictates.

The above disadvantages have been overcome by the flushing apparatus ofthe present invention which Vis reliable, inexpensive to manufacture,simple in structure, quiet and eicient in operation. The apparatus ofthe present invention also requires little maintenance and may provide ahydrostatic head of several feet by impounding the flushing water Withina vertical tank which may conveniently be housed between the studs inthe wall of a bathroom so thatthetank is completely out of the way.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a liushingapparatus which includes a tank having an inlet adapted to be connectedto a source of liquid, such as water under pressure, and an outlet.Valve means are coupled to the outlet for controlling the flow of vwatertherethrough with the valve means beingV arranged to close the outletnormally. v For example, such valve means may includean impermeablesphere such as a plastic ball disposed `within the tank and adapted tocooperate with an annular seat surrounding the outlet so that the sphereor ball is normally forced against the annular seat by the pressure ofthe water Within the tank. the tank is connected 'directly Yto a sourceof water under pressure the pressure within the tank when the outlet isclosed becomes equal to the pressure of the source which may be oftheorder of 40 or 50 p.s.i.- This high pressure insures a good seal betweenthe ball and the annular seat, thereby preventing any water fromdribbling into the toilet bowl between flushing operations. The flushingapparatus also includes means for operating the valve meansV to open theoutlet and means to reduce the pressure within the tank prior tooperating the valve means. Where the valve'meansA includes a ball andcooperating annular seat Patented July 3, 1S62 Since the inlet tosurroundingthe ontlet, the Imeans for operatingnth'e valve I Vmeans mayinclude a cam, disposed below the ball, for

lifting the ball from the seat when the cam is turned and the means forreducing the pressure within the tank may w include a conduitin Yiluidcommunication with the tank and a plug valve coupled tothe conduit fordraining'water from the tank just before the cam engagesfthe Yball toreduce the pressure within the tankl andthereby reduce the forcerequired to lift the ball toopen the outlet.

The invention is described in more detail in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which: Y Y

FIG. l is an Yelevation illustrating the .apparatus of -the Vena-1,629 jt c secured at its lower end to a drain pipe 68 which is in turn presentinvention connected toa toilet bowl with the water y tank disposedwithin a wall; Y v

FIG. 2 is a sectional VVview taken along the lines 2 2 of FIG. 1, partlybroken away; 1 y Y FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 ofFIG.` 2; Y Y

FIG. 4 is an elevational View of a pressure regulator that may beemployed with ythe apparatus of FIGS. 2 and'3.'Y Y Referring now to thedrawing and more particularly to FIG. 1; a conventional rear Vspuddedwashed-downtype of toilet bowl is indicated generally at 10. The toiletbowl 10 is supported by a lloor 171. A vertically extend;`

Ving tank, indicated generally at '12, is secured to the .rear `of thebowl 10 by means of an velbow 14 and a bracket 16.

The tank 12 is disposed between the usual 6-inch studding within a wallhaving front and'rrear surfacesVV y18 and 20 connected at its lower endto the bracket 16, as showmto drain Vany w'ate'r that ymay flowlthroughthe opening 60 andthereturn pipe 64 intthe dischargechamber 17and the toilet bowl connectedthereto.y

To lift the ball 50 frorn'its seat 35 and thus open the outlet, a cam'l0-having a cam4 surface 72 onthe toppertion thereof and asegmentalpinion gear on the bottom portion is secured to an operatingshaft7 8l which journaled in threaded bushingsV 80 that are threadedlyengaged in hollow bosses 81 of the bracket 16. The shaftV bosses S1 andthe hexagonal heads of the hushings.` An operating handle 92 is suitablysecured to one end Referring now/to FIG. 2, the tank 12 includes'aninlet 22 which is connected to a suitable source of liquid or waterunder pressure -by means of an inlet pipe 24 which Vmay, for example,-be the standard 3/g'rinsiderdianreter service pipe which is insertedinto a tting 26 and-secured` thereto in a water tight Vrelationship bymeans o f a hexaof the shaft 78 to actuate the cam l7|).V l Y To reducethe pressure within: the tank 12 priorv to lifting the ball 50 from itsseat 34 the cam 704is arranged to control a pressure released plug valveindicated generally at 92p. SeeY FIG. 3. The plug valve 92 is clis-AVgonal cap 28 and a rubber sealing ring 30. The Vtank 12 in# cludes anoutlet 32 through which Waterimpounded within the tank 12 may ow intothe toilet bowl'10,as willrbe more fully described. yAn annular gasket34; which may be for-med of molded `butyl rubber or neoprene is securedbetween an annular ofrrbracket 36 which forms the bottom of the tank 12and an upper llange 39 ofthe bracket16.

y The gasket 34 includes an annular seat 35 which surrounds the outlet32. The bracket 16 includes a centrally disposed discharge opening orchamber 17 through which the waterV impounded in the tank 12 ows to ushthe toilet bowl. The. bracket v36 includes a vertically extending flange37 which is suitably secured in a water tight vmanner to theV bottom ofa stand pipeY 40 which forms the central Yportion ofthe tank 12. Thebracket 16 includes a nipple 38 at the lower end thereof whichthreadedly engages the elbow 14 and the ange 39 at the upper end whichis securedto the Vbracket 36 lby means; of bolts 42. An O-` ring Y44 isdisposed between cooperating annular grooves 46 formed in the bracket 36and the Vflange 39 of the' bracket 16, as shown, to make the tank 12water tight.

A valve member such as a plastic ball 50 is disposed n within the tank12 and Vadapted to cooperate with the annular seat Vformed bythe gasket34 to provide a water discharge vcheck valve which normally `closesY theoutlet 'ofthe tank and prevents water how therethrough. Another ball 52which is arranged to tloat isV disposed within the tank 12Y and adaptedto cooperate with anananular seat 54 formed by a gasket 56 to provide'an airVA release check valve, as will be more fully described. Thegasket S6 is suitably secured to a top bracket member YSS that forms thetop of the tank 12'. The bracket58 has a` centrally located holeV 60therein which may be formedA by a plurality of coaxial annular grooves61, as shown, to

cause the ball 52 to seat against the gasket 56 and close theopening 60wherttheA water withinthe tankreaches a predetermined leveL- The opening-60 in the bracket 58 isin uid communication with a chamber 62 formedwithf posed outsideV of the tank 12 and is coupled to a conduitindicated generally at 93 whichgis in fluid corn-p munication with thetank 12 and permits water to drain from the tank when the valve 82 isopen. The valve 92` includesV arplunger 94 'which is slidably disposedwithin a bore 96 in a cylindrical member or tube97 that Yerr-Q tendsacross the'central portion of'the'bracket 16 and may be formedintegrallytherewith. The plunger 94 includes a gear rack 9S on the top portionthereof adapt-j ed to mesh with the pinion gear` 74 so thatl theplunger; 94 is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3' as thecam'memb'er 70 is rotated in a clockwise'direc-' tion as viewed inFIGfB. A cylindrical gasket 98 isc carried by one end of the' plungerand is adapted to cooperate with an annular valve Vseat 100 formed onVther end otra threaded insert 102 having a cylindrical bore 103therein. The insert V102 forms apart of the 'conduit 93 Vand includes anopening 104 in the top portion thereof which is connected to the tank 12by means of a' pipe 106. The insert 102 threadedly engages one end ofthe tube 97 and is sealed thereto. by means of sealing" rings 1 -08 vtoprevent water within the `tank`12 frontV escaping into the dischargechamber 17 in the bracket 16 when the valve 92 is closed or when theplunger 94 is pressed against the seat 100. Thev tube 97 includes slots110 therein to `perlnit Water to tiow from the conduit V93 through thetube 97, into the discharge member 17 and thence into the toilet'bowlwhen the valve 92 is open.

To hold the pressure release valveV 92 closed between flushingoperations, a springl 112 is coupled at one end' of the shaft 78`bymeans of ancarm 114 and at the other end toa spool 116 which is securedto the'bracket y16 by meansof a bar 118, as may'best be seen in FIG. 2.

The spring 112must urge the shaft 78, as seen in'FIG. 3,' in acounterclockwise direction with suticient forceY to insure that thepressure Within 4thetank 12 and theY conduit 99Y will notopen the valve92.' Y

V'111e `operation of the apparatus described above is as, follows:Assume that the tank 12 isffull of water and that the balls 50 and52 arepressed against their respec-V tive seats 35 and 54, as shown in FIG. 2bythe pressure of the water in the tank which is equal to the pressureof the incoming water in pipe 24. To flush the toilet bowl theY handle92 is depressed, which turns the shaft 78 and the cam 7u in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in FIG. 3. The pinion gear 74 on the cam 70 engagesthe gear rack 95 on the plunger 94 and retracts the sliding plunger 94away from the valve seat 100, thereby permitting water to surge from thetank 12 through the conduit 93, through the slots 110 in the tube 97,through the discharge chamber 17, and into the toilet bowl. In turningthe cam 70 through a small arc, for example 5 to 7, enough Water hassurged through the conduit 93 to lower the water level in the stand pipe40 and drop the upper ball 52 from its seat 54 so that the waterpressure on the top surface of the water within the tank 12 is equal tothe atmospheric pressure in spite of the incoming water from the servicepipe 24. The cam continues to turn as the handle is further depressedand the cam surface 72 of the cam 70 now engages the ball 50 and rocksthe ball 50 to lift it from its seat S1. This opens the outlet 32 andpermits the Water within the tank 12 to llush the toilet bowl 10.

Since only the weight of the water within the tank 12 is applyingpressure on the ball Sil at the time the cam 70 engages the ball,4little force is required to lift the ball from; its seat. The camsurface 72 further reduces the force that must be exerted on the handle92 to lift the ball from its seat 51 by rocking the bal-l 50 instead oflifting it straight up. The water within the tank 12 is quicklydelivered to the toilet bowl 10 because, as they water level within thetank drops, air rushes into the tank through the collar 66, the conduit64, the chamber 62, and through the hole 6@ in the top bracket 5S. Theball 52 falls to the bottom of the tank 12 as` the irnpounded watertherein is drained through the outlet 32 and assumes the positionindicated by the dotted 'lines in FIG. 2 when the tank is almost empty.

To delay the return of the handle 92 and the cam 70 during the flushingoperation, a conventional mechanic-al timer 120 is secured to thebracket 16 by means of a bar 121 and is suitably coupled to the shaft78. The timer 120 may consist of a simple gear train with or without anal windwheel or an air or oil dashpot. The timer 120 should be arrangedto provide little or no resistance to the movement of the shaft 78 in adirection to open the outlet of the tank. Where the tank 12 is arrangedto hold only two or three gallons of water and the plumbing code in aparticular area requires that four gallons of ilushing water bedelivered to a toilet bowl,

the timer 12@ may be arranged to delay the return of the handle 92 for asuicient length of time to permit the incoming water through the servicepipe 24 to deliver the required additional amount of Water to the toiletbowl. The timer 120 may be omitted where the ball 50 is also arranged tofloat in the liquid that is impounded Within the tank 12 and where thetank 12 is designed to hold the required amount of water for ilushing atoilet bowl or the like.

After the toilet bowl 10 has been flushed the handle 92 and the shaft 78are returnedto their original positions by the spring 112. Thisoperation closes the valve 92 and permits the ball 50 to engage its seat35. The incoming water through the service' pipe 24 now begins to fillthe tank 12, causing the ball 52 to rise with the water level. When thetank is full the ball 50 engages its seat 54, thereby sealing the tank12 to atmosphere and permitting the pressure within the tank to assumethe pressure of the incoming water.

The stand pipe 40, the brackets 16, 36 and 58, and the balls 50 and 52may be made of a polyvinyl chloride plastic which is now extensivelyused and will withstand pressures of the order of 170 p.s.i. at 74 F.The use of a plastic material for the tank 12 provides a water tankwhich is nonresonant at the frequencies of the noise 5 signals generatedby the owing water'within the tank, thus reducing the noise level duringa flushing operation.

By employing spheres for valve-members which are free to land on theirseats at a different peripheral circle each-time, the wear on the valvemembers is reduced appreciably. v

The apparatus of this invention also removes the necessity of having anymetallic parts disposed within the tank 12 and thus constantly exposedto the impounded water, as Iis true in the conventional ushingapparatus. The only parts of the apparatus of this invention which mayneed to be formed of metal, i.e., the cam 70 and the plunger 94, areexposed to water only during the ushing operation, thus permitting suchparts to dry when the toilet is not in use. The apparatus of thisinvention also provides an effective method of preventing material fromdepositing or collecting on the valve members or balls Sil and S2 inthat these balls are flushed by the incoming water through the servicepipe 24 at each flushing operation. Also the tank 12 ofthis apparatus isfilled through an inlet that is disposed near the bottom of the tankwhich permits most of the tank to be lled by Water that is drawn intothe tank under the water level therein which appreciably reduces thenoise created during the refilling operation.

In regard to the requirements in most plumbing codes that the flushingapparatus acts as a vacuum breaker and an anti-Siphon device to preventcontaminated water from the toilet bowl from flowing back into theservice pipe 24 in the event of a failure in the city water system, theapparatus of this invention permits only the uncontaminated Water withinthe tank 12 to be drawn into the service pipe 24. When the water levelwithin the tank reaches the level of the service pipe 24 only air can bedrawn into the service pipe. i It will be noted that, in installing theapparatus of this invention and preparing for possible future repairs orreplacements, a large, unattractive access panel such as is used within-the-Wall conventional rectangular tanks, is not required, nor is afull length access panel on the rear opening into `a closet or hallrequired. Because all of the working mechanism is low, the panel 21 maybe small and still provide access to all workingparts for adjustment,repair or replacement. This panel may be even smaller than the front ofthe customary vitreous china tank. y

In those lcases where the toilet bowl itself must lbe uuseated becausesome'foreign object is lodged in it, or it must be replaced due tocracking or breakage, then the tank 12 can be raised-suciently to permitthe plumber to unseat thebowl from its putty and the horn,v the hornbeing usually no longer than one and one-half inches. Dimensions forstoring the tank 12 are essentially standard and thus determine themaximum length. For example, toiletbowls are seldom higher than 16inches from the oor and seldom lower than l5 inches, While the oeilingheight within the studs is customarily no more than 96 inches.Accordingly, as an article of manufacture, the tank 12 may be of maximumlength of 72 inches, considering that the bracket 16 must occupy aminimum of eight inches, and that some space must be provided betweenthe top of the tank 12 and the ceiling to permit the tank 12 to beraised in order to unseat the bowl.

When codes or convenience in manufacture, installation or shipping sodictate, then standpipe *40* may be in two parts with suitableconnecting iianges.

From the foregoing description throughout it will be evident that thepresent invent-ion, when properly made and assembled, provides a new andunique answer to the problem of water-ilushing a standard toilet bowl.From the foregoing description it will be observed that, with verylittle pressure, the lower lball 50 may be raised for Y apri-,629

herhaal. tobeV raised against citywater pressure. `From the' foregoingdescription it will also vbeapparentfto. 'those skilled; thevartthat,barringraccident, this device should Y laspa; lifetime, due to the( factthat, wi'thin the water, ahamberhlere arena-metalrarfr, and thefurtherrfaft that the valve member Aor balls 50 and 52 are continu-.cpsly washed bywater under pressure. Y *A Y I f desired, aconventionalpressure regulator 130 may be provided at the inlet tothe tank 12;V orin series with the service pipe Z4, as shown in FIG. 4, to reduce themaxmumwater pressure within the tank 12. Forexample, the regulator 130maybe arranged to Yprovide a pressure of 1 ps i. inthe tank 12. Experi-`in eiits:have proven that this low pressurev is suiicient iliir SeatsY.

What is @aimed iS= to provide Yagnod seal between the balls- 50 and 52and @als llagga Ynt Opening in. the top Portion 'theraof, anoutlet inthe bottom portion thereof and aninlet `adaptedrto be vconnected to asource of water under pres- Y sure, a-iirstimpermeablelbuoyant balldisposed within Ythe tank, for closing the airvent opening whenthe waterwithin the tank reachesa predetermined level, arsecornd impermeable balldisposed within the tank for closing for ventging Ythe air vent openingto atmosphere and for draining offany' water that liovvs through the airvent openingfinto the discharge opening within the bracket, a @naait@needed between the rank and the bracket for draining water from thetank into the discharge opening, a plug valve coupled to the conduitandV including a v alve seat on one endofthe conduit and a plungerslid,- ably disposed within the bracket for selectively engaging thevalve seat to closel the conduit, the plunger inabiding a, searrask, 'aCam member rotatably mounted withinthe bracket and having asegmentalpinion gear on one portionvthereof and aV cam surface on another portionthereof,jthe pinion gear meshing with the gear rack o n the plnnger toslide the plunger away'from the valve Seeland 'open the carrdut'when theGammember, isl for tatedV in one direction and'to slide the plungerVtoward the valve seat tovclovse theconduit when the cam member isrotated in the other direction, the cam surface being posi-Itionedtoengage and lift the second ball from the outlet whenp the cammember is rotated in said one direction l after the conduit isY opened,means vfor biasing the plunger tpward valve seatwand means for rotatingAthe cam aimberirr ratione 1iirr=tii rrv v 12. apparatus for flushingtoilet bowlscornprising a {tank}including a vertically disppsedrstandpipe, agnfirst breek?? haringen Outlet Perrine therein connected to thebottpmvvofthe stand pipe and*` a; second 4bracket having Brieven?Oprring'therein ccrrilectri` to the top of 'the fanti `Pipe 'the tankfurfherirrhrdirrg arr inlet Opening in the wall of the Istand pipeadjacent the lower end thereofpmeans for connectingY the inlet to asource of water underpressure, means defining first and second annularvalve seatsI disposedwithin the outlet and air vent openf 's ings in theYfirst and'second brackets respectively2 first and second impermeableballs disposed within the stand pipe for cooperating' with the first,and `secon'd'valve sea-tn respectively, `the second ball being buoyantand arranged t-o float inl the water Within the stand pipe for engagingthe second valve seat when the water within Ithe stand pipe reaches apredetermined level, a third bracket'h-av-ing a centrally disposedv`discharge opening therein connected to the first `bracket landextending downwardly therefrom for connection to thev toilet bowl, thesecond bracket having a chamber connectedwith the air vent openingafirst return pipe connected Ywith they chamber in the sec ond bracketand extending downwardly therefrom, 'a second return pipe connected tothe discharge' opening in the third bracket at one end and extendinggenerally upwardly therefrom with the upper end of Vthe second ren l, Inan apparatus for flushing/toilet bowls thecombi Vnation which comprisesa vertically'wdisposed cylindrical turn pipe being disposed apredetermined distance'below the lower end of the first return pipe, acollar of larger diameter than the first return pipe connected tolthetop end of the second return pipe and extending upwardly around thelower end of the rst return pipe to provide a space between the upperend of the collar and the rst return pipe to vent the chamber in thesecond bracket to atmosphere, `a conduit connected. between thedischarge opening in the third bracket Iand the interior of the tank, atubular member having slats therein connected to one end of the conduitand extending across the third bracket, means.Y forming a third annnl-arvalve seat onkthe end of the conduit connected to the discharge openingin the third bracket, a plunger slidably disposed withinthe tubularmember -aud having a gear .rack on r one portion thereof, a shaftjournaledVV on oppositefs'ides lifting the first bail from the firstvalveseat after the plunger has been removed from thelrird valve seat inresponse to` rotation of the cam member Vin said one direction, a handleconnectedto the end of the vshaftth-at extends outside of the thirdbracket for turning the shaft in said one direction, spring means`coupledto `thefshaft for biasing the shaft in the other direction andatimer coupled tothe shaft for delaying the return of the handle and theshaft in saidV other threction.V

Y References Cited in the file of rthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS" Y679,687 simpson v r r July so, 1901 1,141,354 Mauer -7.....- June 1',1915 1,305,145 Meyer` v. j May 27, 1919 1,639,288 Giardino et al Aug.16, 1927 `FOREIGN PATENTS 'Y 14,121 Great Britain Ju1y'1'7, 1899 331,915Italy Nov. 19, 1935 France ...Q -...1., A Nov. 24, 1954 UNITED STATESVPATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CGRRECTION Pai-,ent vo. 3,041,629 July 3,1962 Verneur E. Pratt It is hereby certified that error appears i'n theabove numbered patent requiring correction and that the said LettersPatent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 43, `strke out "of"; column 4, line 26q for "7" read 78line 38, for "82" read 92 SignedV and sealed this 30th day of October1962.

(SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD VERNEST W. SWIDER 'Commissioner of Patents AttestingOfficer

